The present invention generally pertains to switches, routers, and switch routers used to direct relatively high speed data streams within a network. In particular, the invention pertains to a switching device for dividing a relatively high speed data stream into a plurality of relatively low speed data streams, which when properly balanced, allow the switching device to process the relatively high speed data stream at wire speed with minimal data loss.
High performance Ethernet layer 2 and 3 switching at 1 Gbps is well understood in the art and embodied in a number of commercial products, including those of the assignee of this application. However, ultra-fast switching at wire speeds at or above 10 Gbps presents numerous engineering obstacles. Some of these obstacles require that existing hardware for implementing fast Ethernet be significantly re-engineered to perform even faster data processing and to incorporate functionality previously implemented in software. The solution to ultra-fast Ethernet requires substantial resources, including time and capital investment. In consideration of this substantial investment, there is thus a need to capitalize on the variety of existing switching hardware operable at gigabits speeds, which is readily available and whose reliability is proven.